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So, how does an organisation go
about creating a diverse and inclusive
workplace? Here are six things you need
to know to get your company headed in
the right direction.
1. It starts at the top:
A diverse and
inclusive culture starts with leadership
who are prepared to not only ‘talk the
talk,’ but ‘walk the walk.’ After all, your
leadership sets the tone and it’s only
natural for employees to emulate their
behaviour. If your leadership respects and
acknowledges the differences of everyone
within the organisation, employees will
adopt to the culture.
2. Provide relevant training and
development:
To drive home its
importance, diversity training should
be mandatory for all employees. And
to effectively engage a wide group of
employees, a variety of training methods
such as role play, classroom-style, Q&A,
and web-based learning are critical.
Training enables employees to learn how
to adopt more inclusive behaviours, create
more flexible work environments, and also
communicate more openly and effectively.
3. Establish employee networks:
Employee networks are excellent tools
for fostering inclusion in the workplace.
Networks not only enhance an employee’s
work experience, they also foster
communication and relationship building.
In addition, information shared in these
groups helps leaders identify and address
issues, while removing barriers to an
inclusive workplace. At the end of the day,
these networks are ultimately a win-win
for both employees and organisations.
4. Designate D&I champions throughout
your organisation:
Creating an inclusive
work environment takes a lot of work
from all levels of the organisation. When
employees see their own peers, managers,
and senior leaders actively model an
inclusive work culture, employees take
note. An inclusive workplace is possible
for everyone.
5. Foster dialogue:
If your employees
don’t have a voice, they don’t feel
included. When employees have
opportunities to engage with senior
leaders and share their views across
levels, they feel included and part of
an organisation that is making greater
progress by creating an inclusive work
environment for all.
6. Don’t forget to celebrate diversity:
Allow for celebration of all cultural
festivities – not just Christmas and
Thanksgiving. If you truly want to
transform your workplace into a
more inclusive one, acknowledging
cultural celebrations of all varieties and
backgrounds is not only necessary, it can
be fun for everyone!
Cushman & Wakefield has long been a
vanguard of the commercial real estate
industry. If there is one thing we’ve
learned, it’s that our clients are more
successful, and we are more successful,
if our workforce reflects the world
around us. We earnestly believe that a
rich tapestry of cultures, backgrounds,
and experiences contribute to a more
enjoyable work experience where
innovation can thrive.
What is the cost to society of excluding
people? At Cushman & Wakefield we
stand for inclusion and are delighted to
be the inaugural access and inclusion
partner for Vivid Sydney 2017, which
is the largest light, music, and ideas
festival in the world, attracting 2.3
million visitors in 2016. This video
demonstrates the journey that Cushman
& Wakefield is on around inclusion, with
a focus on Vivid Sydney.
Cushman & Wakefield, along with
Destination NSW, have a vision to make
Vivid Sydney as inclusive as possible for
all community groups.
Our partnership assisted in funding
accessible viewing areas across the
festival, dedicated drop-off and pick-up-
zones, audio descriptions of Vivid Light
walk and Auslan interpreters at Vivid
Ideas events.
Our staff offered their time across more
than 100 volunteer sessions, assisting
groups from special needs schools,
retirement villages, and community
groups to experience the magic of Vivid
Sydney.
As part of our partnership we hosted
an ideation session in the Vivid Ideas
programme with 100 people attending.
The question posed to the group
was ‘how do we create inclusive play
experiences for all children’ including
those with special needs?’
Experts in special needs care, design,
creative thinking, lighting, engineers,
construction, as well as the real
estate sector gathered to provide a
unique perspective on inclusive play
experiences. Playgrounds typically
bring people together but for children
with special needs and their families,
playgrounds can push them further
away and exclude them for community
activities. Play is the universal need
that all children share. Inclusion means
that everyone in a community is able
to connect and engage. Inclusion in the
context of play is about more than just
access, it means equal participation.
Cushman & Wakefield along with other
partners will take forward a number of
the ideas on inclusive play that came
out of the session and bring them to life
over the next 12 months, culminating
in a very special experience at Vivid
Sydney 2018.
250 property industry professionals and
their partners gathered for a cocktail
party to witness the magic of Vivid
Sydney from the iconic Museum of
Contemporary Art on Sydney’s Circular
Quay. Our guests were treated to
entertainment by RUCKUS, a Sydney-
based disability-led contemporary
performance ensemble, who brought
the house down.
Cushman & Wakefield wants to be
what’s next for inclusion in our industry
and we want to help identify and
build what’s next for inclusive play. We
passionately believe that all children
should have the opportunity to play, no
matter what their ability, and our world
will be better off when everyone can
belong and everyone is included.
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